Grace Men Claim Ray Bullock Invite Victory

UPLAND, Ind. - Grace's cross country teams showed out during Friday's Ray Bullock Invitational, hosted by Taylor.

The men's team won the meet out of nine teams, while the women grabbed third place.

The men were racing against a myriad of nationally recognized teams. The Lancers topped No. 8 St. Francis (Ill.), No. 11 Taylor and No. 13 Goshen, as well as Spring Arbor (receiving votes).

Grace's women were behind only No. 1 Taylor and No. 5 St. Francis (Ill.). They topped No. 24 Goshen as well as three other Crossroads League schools.

"This was an exciting day for the men to come home with the team win against some very solid competition. The ladies had a very solid day on a challenging course with tough teams to race against," said Grace assistant coach Korry Hamlin. "We are encouraged by the performances today, but we still know there is room to improve as the season continues."

The race was a preview of the course for the 2023 Crossroads League Championships, which are slated for Nov. 3.

The men's team was led by five finishers in the top 15. Logan Rufenacht grabbed seventh place with his finish of 25:40.6; Brandon Kleber was four seconds behind him in ninth place (25:44.8). 

Korry Hamlin (25:52.0) and Cole Johnston (25:56.0) finished 10th and 11th respectively, and Dimitri Margaritidis grabbed 13th with his time of 26:06.9.

Justin Van Prooyen (26:36.0) and Luis Loera (26:44.6) rounded out Grace's top-seven runners, and Luke Nier (26:57.3) also beat 27 minutes.

The Lancers will race again on Sept. 30 for the Louisville Classic.